Condom remains tax-free but you put Tax on Sanitary Pads, why?

Women Caucus of the Minority group in Parliament has given a one-month ultimatum to the Government for the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, to return to Parliament with a retraction on the proposed imposition of Tax on sanitary pads.

According to them, the 20 percent proposed tax on sanitary pads announced in the 2024 Budget by the Finance Minister is unsound and smacks of insensitivity of the Government to the plight of females, especially young women in the country.

Addressing a press conference in Parliament on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, the Minority Women Caucus led by its Chairperson, Comfort Doyoe, questioned why taxes should be slapped on sanitary pads when condoms remain tax-free in the country.

“How can condoms be tax-free? Condom is not something that naturally you need to get at all costs, but the sanitary pad or the menstrual period is something that biologically you will have as a woman. We don’t see why they should tax our blood. They should stop taxing our blood,” she said.

The Chairperson who doubles as the Second Deputy Whip of the Minority was flanked by some female students from the University of Ghana, and some market women on both sides in addition to the female Members of Parliament.

“So, the Government should amend the statement he made in the Budget Statement within one month and come to the House and assure we the women, otherwise we are going to advise ourselves,” she added.

The market women on their part, called on the Government to consider sharing the sanitary pads to young girls free of charge and subsidize it for other women as well.

The Women Commissioner of the University of Ghana, Queensta Anowa Quarcoo also reiterated the call for the removal of all taxes on both locally manufactured and imported sanitary towels and distributes them free of charge to students by using the Ghana Card as a means of identification.

Some of the female MPs present also took their turns to call on the Government to take the necessary steps to reverse its decision to bring some level of relief to young girls and women in the country.

The Member of Parliament for Pusiga, Laadi Ayii Ayamba, said, ‘We are demanding that the Government distribute it free of charge because we are not the first nor the second country in the world to do this. Even the Former NDC Government distributed sanitary pads free of charge to school girls.”

The MP for Kpando, Della Sowah on her part, called on the men to also join their voices in the call for the removal of the taxes on the sanitary pads since it is in the interest of all. “Don’t say the women are fighting for the removal of taxes on sanitary pads. You also take up the fight. Even the young in the universities, get them involved, let there be one voice united against the taxes.”

The MP for Tempane, Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, observed that the sanitary pads need to be taxed by the Government to raise revenue since the Government gives away a lot of unnecessary tax waivers.

“The tax exemption to 1D1F alone can cater for a number of sanitary pads that women need in this country. So, we don’t need to tax factories that produce sanitary pads for women and girls to get money to run this country and it is totally unacceptable to us Parliamentarians,” She observed.

Source: Clement Akoloh || parliamentnews360.com